Journey mercies

In the past, my guy friends have talked about their heroes in the Bible. I would nod - a picture of sage understanding at what they were saying.

But actually. I understood the word hero, but I never really connected with it.

But now I DO have heroes!

Make that heroines.

I've been reading Lost Women of the Bible: Finding strength & significance through their stories by Carolyn Custis James. Highly recommend it!

Funny innit that I was reading a book about men and now I'm reading a book about women. Purely coincidental. But then, with the Lord, is there ever such thing as coincidence? I happened to pick it up at a friend's house and thought the first few pages was an interesting read so I borrowed it and then couldn't put it down!

Last year a guy friend gave me a book about the women in the Bible as well but written by a man. It was such a dry and boring book, I could not read more than a few pages. The man just simply did not get it.

But I must say, Bro O perhaps actually does come quite close to understanding what it takes to be a woman - but then again, some of you would just say I'm biased. But it really shouldn't be a big surprise. He has one of the best of us women by his side teaching him. I'm slowly (as always) starting to understand some things he has been trying to teach me for a long time now.

Hannah is now my favourite heroine! An extract from the book (italics mine):


"We will never understand Hannah until we begin with the assumption that her heart beats the same as ours do, that she has feelings just like we do. In her barrenness she was, by her own admission, in bitterness of soul. She wanted nothing more in all of life than to hold a baby of her own. Only when we allow these very human passions to exist in Hannah will we begin to see the fierceness of her love for God. Yes, she was devastated when her husband took a second wife. Yes, she felt every sting of Peninnah's barbs. And yes, she prayed relentlessly that God would give her a child. But somewhere along the line everything changed for Hannah and something else became even more important. That change showed up when Hannah prayed.

Hannah's psalms seem to reveal that everything changed for her when she realized Peninnah was laughing at God. Suddenly, much as Hannah longed for a child, she wanted something else even more. She wanted God to vindicate himself as the God who hears and answers the prayers of those who trust in him. In prayer, she raised her sword in the battle for God's glory. The passion of her heart voiced the passion of the prayer Jesus later taught his disciples - "Hallowed be your name" (Matthew 6:9). She willingly offered up her most priceless treasure to shut the mouth of the one who dared to mock her God. Hannah was an ezer. She subdued and ruled over God's enemies. She sacrificed for his glory. She stood squarely in the path of those who mocked him and fought to take back the honor and praise that rightfully belonged to him. And so she offered up Samuel, before he was even conceived."

(1 Samuel 1 for context)


In the flow of Israel's history, Hannah is significan, both historically and spiritually, as the three men who follow her in the Samuel narrative - Samuel, Saul and David.

She lay aside her honour for the Lord's honour. If today we choose the same - to lay aside ourselves for the Lord, what shall we see happening in our lives?!

Perhaps nothing at all in our minds. But consider this, "if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward" (Matthew 10:42) Then how much more if we thirst and hunger each day to give the Lord more and more and more of our lives!!!